Making of Modern Ukraine 6
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania
In the history of Europe, whether seen from the west or seen from Moscow, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania is often a missing piece. Yet it was once the largest state in Europe, and it is was the continent’s last major pagan power. After the coming of the Mongols, Lithuania gained control of most of the territories of old Kyivan Rus, whose peoples in turn transformed the Duchy’s politics and society. (Moscow, meanwhile, remained under the control of Mongol successor states). Many of the civilizational attainments of Kyiv, which became part of Lithuania, were preserved by the Grand Duchy. When the Grand Dukes of Lithuania became Polish kings, this created a new synthesis that would last for four hundred years, and will be the subject of lectures to come.
PS I fell behind last weekend, so three lectures this weekend! Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings.
You can find the video for the lectures here and the podcasts here or here.
Reading: Plokhy, Gates of Europe, chapter 7.
Terms:
Valdimar/Volodymyr/Vladimir (r. 980-1015)
Yaroslav/Jarislief (r. 1019-1054, alone 1036-1054)
Mstislav
Sviatopolk
Harald Hardrade, King of Norway
Anne of Kyiv (c. 1030-1075)
Hilarion, metropoliton from 1051
Old Church Slavonic
Руська правда, Rus'ka pravda
Andrei Bogolyubskii (r. in Vladimir, 1157-1175)
Galicia-Volhynia
Gediminas (r. Lithuania 1315-1343)
Perkunas (Perun or Thor), Andai (water), Teliavel
Chaucer, Canterbury Tales, 1380
Teutonic Knights
Peter of Dusburg
Reise
Union of Krewo (1385)
Jogaila/Jagiełłó (r. Lithuania 1377–1434) (r. Poland 1386–1434)
Thank you so much for producing the lecture/podcast series and providing these lecture notes as well! I am up to lecture 6 and just ordered Plokhy's book so I can follow along with the readings. I had started reading the recently published "Russia: Myths and Realities" by Rodric Braithwaite and was wondering if there were any current books written about Ukraine when I discovered your lecture series. I find it absolutely astonishing that there are almost no semester long university courses (besides your own) that cover the history of Ukraine. Despite my study of Russian and Eastern European Jewish history and literature back in my University days, I am ashamed to say that I know almost nothing about Ukraine, aside from current events. Thanks again for bringing light to this important subject!
Thank you so much Dr. Snyder for ALL you are doing! Goodness! Of course you are NOT behind! You are engaged in powerful ways in behalf of Ukraine, Ukrainians, and actually the entire world. I so appreciated your statement at the UN Security Council meeting on "russophobia" especially in light of the two speakers who came before you! I listened to almost the entire session. I was deeply impressed by many around the table who are very aware of what the terrorist state is doing and that they oppose it and support Ukraine. Do you have any idea whether or if the UNSC can / will/ is allowed to suspend a member (as suspect as their membership actually has become since 1991) for aggression that breaks all manner of international law as well as the UN Charter, which this nation is supposed to have agreed to support? I foresee terrible things if russia is allowed to be chair of the SC in the usual rotation. How can this injustice be halted?